Refuge Chambers and Safety Culture

An organisation’s safety culture plays an important role in its development.

The adoption and enhancement of safety standards across industries, in particular, mining, has positively impacted economic processes.

Refuge Chambers are a Vital Part of a Companies Safety Culture

Safety drives productivity; it involves a collective effort but must be led by management. A management-led program to enhance workplace OH & S instils a positive and well-respected safety culture within the organisation. Furthermore, companies which lead by example and implement a structured training program have proven results in improved productivity and safety. (Fiedler, Fred E. et al., 2009)

Hindustan Zinc has a strong focus on safety and has been constantly working to further strengthen safety through the advent of new technology and behavioural change. MineARC’s Nic Stone and Dion Smith have been working closely with Hindustan Zinc to further strengthen emergency preparedness as part of their overall safety plan. The duo recently visited the Rajpura Dariba Mine upon the arrival of their first refuge chambers for the site.

Beyond refuge chambers, building a culture of positive safety behaviours is developed through ongoing training and support. The role of safety in an organisation’s culture sets the framework for an individual’s attitudes and behaviours towards day-to-day operations and during an emergency. (Cliff, D. et al., 2016). Supplying refuge chambers is just one aspect of MineARC’s service; operational training and client support are also provided to ensure personnel have the skills, knowledge and processes to assure safety is a key value to the organisation.

MineARC’s Nic Stone explains “Once they understand what the refuge chamber is for, and why they need to be looked after, you can see they appreciate what their company is doing by implementing a safety and emergency response plan. They feel more valued as staff.”

Part of the training process is to build awareness of the importance of regular maintenance and servicing. Refuge chambers, much like other mining machinery, require ongoing maintenance checks and regular servicing. This ensures the chambers are kept in their optimal working order and emergency readiness.

Nic goes on to say “We find after training, many managers will create their own maintenance register and schedule – it is great to see how well they adapt to the changes and strive to keep safety an important issue.”

Improvements in technology and the progressive adoption of higher safety standards have seen the continued development of the resources industry and safety culture within its organisations. MineARC Systems supports building a strong safety culture and will work with an organisation to provide added value and share our expertise, with the full workforce.